andrew van dam
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andrewvandam.bsky.social
andrew van dam
@andrewvandam.bsky.social
14K followers 1.9K following 200 posts
data columnist washington post
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Reposted by andrew van dam
cohodes.bsky.social
This project was fueled by RAGE

RAGE whenever I read or heard about (another) abuse of power by faculty

RAGE whenever I was asked to discuss a paper about gender wage differentials that attributed gaps to "preferences" with no consideration of how "preferences" are formed
cohodes.bsky.social Sarah Cohodes @cohodes.bsky.social · 6d
📣 New NBER Working Paper out today 📣

"The Consequences of Faculty Sexual Misconduct"
Sarah Cohodes & Katherine Leu
Screenshot of working paper: The Consequences of Faculty Sexual Misconduct
November 11, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
meghanhoyer.bsky.social
The great @dtkeating.bsky.social is retiring after 25+ years as a data reporter at the Post. He published his last story today, and true to form, it was a banger. With reporting from @arianaec.bsky.social, @lmelgar.bsky.social & Jahi Chikwendiu:
www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
The mysterious rise of cancer among young adults in the Corn Belt
Communities across the Corn Belt are confronting a rise in cancers among young adults — and few clear explanations.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 27, 2025 at 11:38 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
kevinschaul.bsky.social
Some personal news: I'm now a visual reporter covering AI for the @washingtonpost.com tech team.

I'm a hacker/journalist with a comp sci background. Expect analysis, explainers and experiments on how AI really works and what it means for us. If that interests you, give me a follow/RT? 🙏
October 22, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
kevinschaul.bsky.social
Tech giants keep touting a system they built to label AI-generated content. But it only works if everyone uses it.

So I checked. They're not using it.

🎁 wapo.st/4qokjaC
Few social media sites labeled fake videos as AI-generated After uploading the same Sora 2 video to each site, The Post checked whether its Content Credentials data was preserved and whether any label indicated use of AI.
October 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
andrewvandam.bsky.social
if anyone has the standing to sue autocorrect makers, it's Alanis Moistest
October 21, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
econhist-allday.bsky.social
Thrilled to work with @andrewvandam.bsky.social on this piece!

wapo.st/46ZuESX
Column | The cities where home prices have changed the most (and least) over the past 130 years
Did your grandparents and great-grandparents really pay less for their homes than you did, even after inflation? The Department of Data might have the answer.
wapo.st
October 20, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
ddiamond.bsky.social
The lead story on The Washington Post today is about the No Kings rallies, and it’s already drawn 5,000-plus comments.

I was browsing the top replies, which come from all over the country but hit similar notes: the rallies were peaceful, unifying and focused on protecting democracy and rule of law.
October 18, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
byerussell.com
“Past pollution explains up to a fifth of the differences in neighborhood socioeconomic status.

Fascinating analysis from @andrewvandam.bsky.social on the geography of urban poverty.
Column | Why this one area of cities is usually the poorest
The Department of Data went looking for geographic patterns in poverty, and stumbled upon a surprising culprit.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
byerussell.com
"If it looms less than 800 feet above than the lower points of interest nearby, it’s probably a hill. Anything taller than that gets to be a mountain. That is, until you get to 5,000 feet, when high places get to be peaks."

via @andrewvandam.bsky.social
Column | The real height at which a hill becomes a mountain, according to data
We found a dataset that allows us to measure what separates a hill from a mountain, and maybe even see if it changes as you go west.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 14, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
gmba-ipo.bsky.social
Ever wondered about "The real height at which a hill becomes a mountain?"
@andrewvandam.bsky.social from @washingtonpost.com gives an answer in a good read
www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Column | The real height at which a hill becomes a mountain, according to data
We found a dataset that allows us to measure what separates a hill from a mountain, and maybe even see if it changes as you go west.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 13, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
dwillis.bsky.social
Last year a @merrillcollege.bsky.social grad student told me she wanted to build a news app about evictions in DC. Given the schedule and amount of work, it was an ambitious project.

Taylor Nichols not only did it but got it published by a DC news org!

streetsensedc.github.io/evictions-ap...
Mapping evictions in Washington, D.C.
streetsensedc.github.io
October 10, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
emgusk.bsky.social
Most American Jews say Israel has committed war crimes

www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
October 4, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
tbpinvictus.bsky.social
TSLA continues its gradual descent as a percent of EV registrations in NYS:
October 3, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
sarahkaplan48.bsky.social
Vital, devastating reporting from @megkelly.bsky.social @joyceshlee.bsky.social & co. on the human consequences of President Trump's suspension of foreign aid
wapo.st/46GSwcv
Trump’s USAID pause stranded lifesaving drugs. Children died waiting.
USAID antimalarial and HIV supplies valued at nearly $140 million were delayed in the first half of the year or not delivered at all due to the Trump administration’s foreign aid pause, The Post found...
wapo.st
September 30, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
katzish.bsky.social
Sure. Cool. Wait, your job is what—you’re the acting head of FEMA?? wapo.st/46BGTDU Crazy exclusive from WaPo about the guy Lewandowski installed to run FEMA, who was reportedly unreachable during the deadly Texas flood in July (gift link)
He "is not a big fan of cellphones" and tries to limit his sons' exposure to them, said a person who has worked closely with him. He usually puts his phone in a box when he gets home and rarely answers it after hours, according to two former officials who worked with him.
September 25, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Reposted by andrew van dam
lennybronner.com
Presidents’ names are getting shorter. Why?

incredible investigation by @andrewvandam.bsky.social and @alyssafowers.bsky.social

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
A scatterplot, including a line of best fit, showing that the average length of presidents' surnames went from between 7 and 8 characters between 1800 and 1930 to between 4 and 5 characters after 2000.
September 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
andrewvandam.bsky.social
I just appealed for special dispensation on your behalf, and I'm delighted (??) to announce the R is back!

Gift link: wapo.st/4oLF7Is
August 22, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
michaelsderby.bsky.social
WashPost on Trump plan to massively increase U.S. prison capacity: The government will be "opening or expanding 125 facilities this year. By January, ICE will have the capacity to hold more than 107,000 people, internal agency documents show."
ICE documents reveal plan to double immigrant detention space this year
Internal documents reveal ICE’s plans to double immigrant detention to more than 100,000 beds, including new detention centers for families.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
bencasselman.bsky.social
Trump's firing of the BLS commissioner after a weak jobs report drew condemnation from economists across the political spectrum who were worried about the politicization of government data. His choice of replacement has only added to those concerns. #EconSky
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/b...
Trump’s Pick to Lead Labor Data Agency Adds to Fears of Political Interference
www.nytimes.com
August 12, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
karenguzzo.bsky.social
A much higher share of childless Republican men - who are desperately trying to get back to “traditional gender norms” where women do most of the childrearing - want to have a child compared to Republican women, Democrat men, or Democrat women. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
This gender difference is largely driven by the preferences of non-LGBTQ Republican men. Most in this group (66%) say they want children someday. Far fewer Republican women (42%), Democratic men (43%) and Democratic women (38%) say the same. (Republicans and Democrats include those who lean toward either party.)
August 13, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Reposted by andrew van dam
drewharwell.com
An entire team of journalists, outside a hospital in a tent for journalists, killed by Israel. www.bbc.com/news/article...
Anas al-Sharif: Four Al Jazeera journalists killed in Israeli strike near Al-Shifa hospital
Al Jazeera had condemned a "campaign of incitement" by the IDF against its reporters, but the military claims one of the journalists was part of Hamas.
www.bbc.com
August 10, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by andrew van dam
calculatedrisk.bsky.social
Goldman: “The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) will publish a preliminary estimate of the benchmark revision to March 2025 nonfarm payrolls on September 9th. We estimate a downward revision on the order of 550-950k”
August 3, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Reposted by andrew van dam
erikamcentarfer.bsky.social
It has been the honor of my life to serve as Commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.
August 2, 2025 at 2:18 AM
andrewvandam.bsky.social
www.bloomberg.com/features/202...
Fear changed to loathing. “The DOGE team wasn’t what I expected,” says a current government employee who’s interacted with Farritor and other core members of DOGE. “Marketed as tech geniuses, yet they could barely keep up with basic tasks. In reality, they were overconfident, drunk on power and utterly clueless. They giggled and asked me how my day was going—right as they hit the keys to obliterate nearly a decade of my work. There wasn’t even a flicker of understanding or care. It wasn’t just the loss that gutted me. It was the audacity of their casual cruelty.”
August 1, 2025 at 3:43 AM
Reposted by andrew van dam
hannahnatanson.bsky.social
Latest in a string of stories you can read only/first from the @washingtonpost: The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work right now, under the Trump admin's resignation program w/ @merylkornfield.bsky.social @laurameckler.bsky.social
wapo.st/3IRXIlK
The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work
Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.
wapo.st
July 31, 2025 at 12:02 PM